Mia's Family Was Deported- Now She Needs Our Help

Imagine being left in front of the shelter by the person you love most, and having no way to know it was the hardest thing she ever had to do.

That is Mia's story. She had a home all of her life and one person, and she loved that person with everything a cat has to give. Then her person was in the process of being deported, and in the middle of losing everything herself, she had to give up the one who loved her back.

Mia was left at the door of Puppy Kitty NYC with her belongings and a handwritten note that reads: "I am in the process of being deported. I have no one to turn to, and I can't leave her out on the street. Her name is Mia. She doesn't get along with other cats, but she loves Churu. I suspect she has problems with her bladder."

Read those words slowly. This was a woman with no one to turn to and no choice left to make. She couldn't keep her cat, and she couldn't bear to leave her out on the street. So she brought Mia somewhere she would be safe, and she made sure we would know her name, what she loves, and what she needs. We can only imagine what it took to walk away. Whatever the circumstances, one thing is clear. Mia was loved, and her person was facing an incredibly difficult situation.

Mia can't read that note. She doesn't know what deportation is. She doesn't know why the hands that held her are gone, or why the home that opened for her every day of her life has closed for good. She only knows that she was loved completely, and now she isn't. So she meows into a hallway of strange sounds, terrified, listening for footsteps that never come. She is asking the only question a cat knows how to ask: is she coming back?

Mia is at the shelter now, safe, and they will make sure she gets the veterinary care she needs. The people caring for her are kind, and their love is real. But it is borrowed. At the end of the day they go home to the people who are theirs. Mia stays behind in a kennel that was never hers, listening to the building go quiet, still hoping for one voice she knows. She doesn't need love that leaves at night. She needs a home of her own.

One thing has to be said clearly. Leaving an animal on a porch or outside a shelter is never safe for the animal, and it isn't fair to the staff or the shelter or rescue. Space and resources are limited, and unexpected drop-offs put an enormous strain on an already overwhelmed organization. Please always contact a rescue or shelter first.

But she is safe, and they won't turn their backs on her. Immigration is a huge, contentious topic in America, and everyone has an opinion. But when a woman with no one to turn to has to give up the cat she loves, you have to ask: why does this have to happen? Be angry about it. Then use that anger to fight for Mia, because she has no voice of her own.

Please DONATE to help us care for Mia. Every $5, $10 and $20 helps us provide veterinary care, food, shelter and everything she needs while we work toward giving her a new beginning.